Collin County, TX — October 17, 2025, Robert Butcher was injured in a motorcycle accident at about 9:20 p.m. on F.M. 1778 east of Copeville.

A preliminary accident report indicates that a 2019 Kawasaki EN650 motorcycle was heading east when it lost control on the slick road and crashed into the ditch.

Motorcyclist Robert Butcher, 22, was seriously injured in the crash, according to the report.

Authorities have not released any additional information about the Collin County crash at this time.

Commentary by Attorney Michael Grossman

When someone gets seriously hurt in a motorcycle crash, the first question is often "what happened?" But the better question is "did we look at everything that might have happened?" Accidents rarely come down to one simple cause, and that's why a complete investigation matters.

Did the authorities thoroughly investigate the crash? In cases like this, it’s not enough to note that the road was slick and the rider lost control. Investigators should treat every crash, especially those involving serious injury, as potentially complex. That means going beyond the basics: laser-mapping the scene, analyzing tire marks, studying the rider’s behavior before the crash and recreating the sequence of events. It’s unclear if those steps were taken here. Not every officer has advanced crash reconstruction training, and that can lead to missed details in motorcycle cases, where evidence is often subtle.

Has anyone looked into the possibility that a vehicle defect caused the crash? A motorcycle tipping over on a wet road might sound straightforward, but mechanical failures can play a hidden role. Issues like faulty brakes, steering malfunctions or worn tires could easily turn a manageable slide into a catastrophic loss of control. The only way to know is through a detailed inspection of the bike; something that doesn’t always happen when weather conditions are blamed early on.

Has all the electronic data relating to the crash been collected? Even motorcycles carry more data than people think. Paired phones, GPS units or even ride-tracking apps can provide critical insights into speed, route and rider input leading up to the crash. If any nearby cameras were rolling — like dash cams or traffic monitors — they might show exactly how the bike handled the curve or reveal any sudden changes in behavior. Whether that information was gathered here remains an open question.

Motorcycle crashes often get chalked up to "just bad luck," especially in less-than-ideal road conditions. But behind every loss of control is a chain of events that deserves a closer look. Making sure all the right questions were asked helps prevent assumptions from standing in for answers.

Key Takeaways:

• Wet roads don’t rule out deeper crash causes. Every angle deserves review.
• A bike’s mechanical condition should always be checked after a crash.
• GPS and phone data can reveal what was really happening before impact.